Maze Runner Trilogy #02: The Scorch Trials

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The final book in the New York Times bestselling trilogy, perfect for fans of Battlestar Gallactica and Prometheus!

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.

RULED BY CHAOS.

ALMOST HOME.

Praise for the ACROSS THE UNIVERSE trilogy:

"Entirely original, deeply compelling, and totally unputdownable--I've found a new favorite!" --Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

"A murder mystery, a budding romance, and a dystopian world gracefully integrated into a sci-fi novel that blows away all expectation." --Melissa Marr, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Lovely

"A fast-paced, action-packed follow-up . . . that explores not only the nature of authority and loyalty but fear of the unknown and fulfilling one's personal destiny." --LA Times

Review:

"Hundreds of pages into this sequel to The Maze Runner, one of the teen subjects of a survival experiment on postapocalypse Earth wonders aloud, 'hat this is really all about.' Readers may be asking that, too. In The Maze Runner, the teens, their memories erased, searched for a way out of a deadly maze; their escape, led by Thomas, was short-lived. As volume two opens, the boys learn they are infected with the 'Flare,' a virus that has killed millions and produced a population of nearly insane, disease-ravaged 'cranks.' New orders from WICKED, a coalition of surviving governments, have the boys marching across a wasteland toward a promised cure. Though some facts are teased out, the narrative bogs down under the weight of unanswered questions. What is the purpose of torturing these kids? How is making them into killers ensuring the survival of the world? Why would government leaders name themselves WICKED? Hopefully answers are forthcoming in volume three. In any case, fans who are already hooked will gobble this down, particularly those who don't mind anemic female characters and a high body count. Ages 12 — up. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

Synopsis:

After surviving horrific conditions in the Maze, Thomas is entrapped, along with nineteen other boys, in a scientific experiment designed to observe their responses and gather data believed to be essential for the survival of the human race.

Synopsis:

In this sequel to the dystopian fantasy-adventure ELEMENTAL, which James Dashner called "fantastic," the stakes are life-or-death and nothing is as it appears to be.

Thomas and his friends have rescued the Guardians and commandeered the pirates' ship, but the pirates still hold fast to Roanoke Island. Using his newly discovered element, Thomas hears a radio message calling for refugees to head to Fort Sumter. They sail south, but quickly discover that their elements wane as they leave Roanoke behind. There is something sinister going on in the refugee colony too. From the perilous food-gathering squads, to the constant threat of rat infestation, to dangerous secrets, Thomas and his colonists begin to realize that this promising new world may be even more terrifying than the one they left behind.

Fans of The Maze Runner and Ship Breaker will love the fast pace, high stakes, and touches of romance in this thrilling novel by an award-winning author.

Synopsis:

The second book in the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series—The Scorch Trials is a modern classic for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

Video

About the Author

James Dashner is also the author of the 13th Reality series. James was born and raised in Georgia, but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. After several years working in finance, he is now a full-time writer.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

Danielle G, December 6, 2010 (view all comments by Danielle G)
The second in Dashner's post-apocalyptic series, 'The Scorch Trials' begins with Thomas and the remaining Gladers who have escaped the Maze at the end of 'The Maze Runner.' Their hard-won safety immediately turns into a challenging mission of survival in the real-world, though reality is never what it seems. This book explores important questions of identity, moral action, and persistence in the face of chaos and betrayal in a compelling and entertaining way. I recommend parents read this book before giving it to their children, as it is filled with graphic violence, death, and serious themes of war, disease and social collapse, so it may not be suitable for all young readers.

"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Hundreds of pages into this sequel to The Maze Runner, one of the teen subjects of a survival experiment on postapocalypse Earth wonders aloud, 'hat this is really all about.' Readers may be asking that, too. In The Maze Runner, the teens, their memories erased, searched for a way out of a deadly maze; their escape, led by Thomas, was short-lived. As volume two opens, the boys learn they are infected with the 'Flare,' a virus that has killed millions and produced a population of nearly insane, disease-ravaged 'cranks.' New orders from WICKED, a coalition of surviving governments, have the boys marching across a wasteland toward a promised cure. Though some facts are teased out, the narrative bogs down under the weight of unanswered questions. What is the purpose of torturing these kids? How is making them into killers ensuring the survival of the world? Why would government leaders name themselves WICKED? Hopefully answers are forthcoming in volume three. In any case, fans who are already hooked will gobble this down, particularly those who don't mind anemic female characters and a high body count. Ages 12 — up. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
After surviving horrific conditions in the Maze, Thomas is entrapped, along with nineteen other boys, in a scientific experiment designed to observe their responses and gather data believed to be essential for the survival of the human race.

"Synopsis"
by Penguin,

In this sequel to the dystopian fantasy-adventure ELEMENTAL, which James Dashner called "fantastic," the stakes are life-or-death and nothing is as it appears to be.

Thomas and his friends have rescued the Guardians and commandeered the pirates' ship, but the pirates still hold fast to Roanoke Island. Using his newly discovered element, Thomas hears a radio message calling for refugees to head to Fort Sumter. They sail south, but quickly discover that their elements wane as they leave Roanoke behind. There is something sinister going on in the refugee colony too. From the perilous food-gathering squads, to the constant threat of rat infestation, to dangerous secrets, Thomas and his colonists begin to realize that this promising new world may be even more terrifying than the one they left behind.

Fans of The Maze Runner and Ship Breaker will love the fast pace, high stakes, and touches of romance in this thrilling novel by an award-winning author.

"Synopsis"
by Random,
The second book in the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series—The Scorch Trials is a modern classic for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

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